Sunday, September 30, 2007

I've been one of the many thousands of fiberholics standing patiently in line since mid-July to join the explosively-growing community known as Ravelry. Each week I'd check in to see where I stood, chatted with a few others standing in line, compared projects and thus. Well, hmmm, that was a virtual line I was standing in, so no, that was wishful thinking on my part. I really wasn't chatting with my neighbors in line with me, but I know they must be as excited as I am when the golden ticket was presented to get in.

For me, I received my golden ticket to join last night! Whee!! I immediately started setting up my notebook and realise it's going to take some time to build it up (and when it has material worth merit I'll post more about it here) -- like what yarn AND how much is REALLY in my yarn stash (will I really come clean to how vast it really is??? eish!). If they expand the needle/hook section so you can name brandnames -- that would be awesome! (I'll suggest it to the hosts in case no one else has.) In the meantime I was tickled to stumble upon two friends there ... Pam & Rose! (Hi Guys!)

If you, my readers, are also a part of the Ravelry.com community and would like to be added as "friends" please leave a comment here or email me as to the user name you are using. For now I'm going to do some more exploring and play around with it's features. I can be found at Ravelry as "CrochetWithDee." :)

Saturday, September 29, 2007

When the Knit Together shop in Stamford closed it's doors this past February they gave me the store displays I had created, one of which was a freeform pencil holder I created for use near the registers. Back in my possession, I gave some thought of what I wanted to do with it and decided to use it in my children's school library in hopes it would get the children wondering about what is art, what is crochet, and how much fun yarn can be.

So from March until June there were a total of two comments on it -- from two different adults. Both had commented that it lent the library a "homey" feel. The children did not seem to notice it.

Fast forward to this school year and the comments have dramatically changed -- the children have taken notice, and in such a way I can see it will be an interesting year! Now, as the children await their turn to check out books, I often times see them tracing the crocheted stitches with their fingers, and turning the pencil holder around and around and around to, as they say, "find the beginning and the end" of the work. Then the questions and comments start: "Mrs. Stanziano? Did you make this?" "Wow, Mrs. Stanziano, I didn't know you can draw with crochet! That's art!" "Mrs. Stanziano, is this something you can teach us this winter?"

Ha! Mission accomplished! It may have a "homey" feel to some adults, but I have the children wondering about "drawing with yarn," and about "art" all with a little piece of freeform crochet that was inspired by Bonnie Pierces' "One Yarn Challenge." It's a good feeling to open eyes to new experiences, both with books and with yarn. :)

Friday, September 28, 2007

Yesterday various people met with Former US President, Bill Clinton, to commit to make a difference in the world. The 60 Scarves in 60 Days Challenge certainly qualifies, as the point of the http://www2.mycommitment.org/ group is that anyone can do something large or small to make a difference -- to make the world better. Here, we're doing just that -- one scarf at a time!

Valarie of Chino Valley, AZ; she donated two scarves she crocheted to her local church. Her Church donates clothing & food to the homeless.

Olga of CT says "I already finished one scarf and started the second, so you can count with two from me."

Lucy, an elementry school teacher in Wisconsin says, "I know that every school could use scarves. There is always a child that comes to school without proper clothing in winter. If it's an adult scarf, perhaps the child's mother needs it. You can count on my for at least one scarf for my school."

Plus the scarf I finished last week, that makes 29 scarves! Whoohoo!! It's not too late to join the Challenge! All you need to do is go here for the official rules -- and don't forget there's a drawing for a great prize too!

Monday, September 24, 2007

I'm still feeling blue about not being able to dive into my crochet stitches with the fever, flavor, and speed I'm accustomed to. I'm told, "just a few more weeks, just a few more weeks." Ack! Anyone have a time machine I can borrow just for a moment to zip into the future, be declared "good as new" and then zip back to today again??

While I await, I did what any girl feeling a little blue would do -- I went shopping for some bling bling! I thought back to a conversation I had with the ever-wonderful Rita Weiss when we were at the National CGOA Conference this past summer. She inquired, "Dee, with all your crochet pins, you must know where I can get some custom rhinestone pins made." At the time, I didn't. It was sheer luck that I'd find yarn vendors selling the pins at I now covet. I decided to do a little research and found a vendor willing to create a custom pins. Check out one of the custom crochet bling bling pins I'll be wearing at future crochet/fiber demonstrations/events:

How fun! I think I'll wear it to the New York Sheep & Wool Festival next month! For those interested, the pin cost about $32 to have made and shipped (which arrived delightfully early this morning). This pin will now go with my "Get Hooked," "Yarn Diva," "I(heart)Hooking," and "I(heart)Crochet" rhinestone pins. (Rita, I'll be contacting you!!)

Keeping the language clean, I'd love to order more custom rhinestone pins. Any suggestions??

Sunday, September 23, 2007

I am way behind in updating my blog here -- my apologies. It's just been a very busy time between attending The Big E, volunteering in my children's school, writing my first "The Crochet Connection" article for the CGOA newsletter, and trying to finish up a design for an upcoming publication (wearing this brace is greatly slowing me down). Whew!

So let me say this about The Big E experience. There is a joke my children like to share with me: "Hey Mom, why did the chicken cross the playground? Because he wanted to get to the other slide!" Cute, yes? I think the joke is a great metaphor of why my group travels to West Springfield, Massachusetts, every year -- because we want boys and girls, men and women to come on over to the crochet side. We want them to see how much fun it can be to create something with their own two hands. And thus, we cross the playground to get to the other slide.

What we initally found upsetting is that this being our fifth year in doing so, we're still not able "to play with the big kids." We were again placed at a separate table away from the "established" fiber arts. Rather than look at it from a negative perspective, I chose to look at the silver lining -- "Look at us! We're Special! We get our own Table & Area! Crocheters Rock!" It was like being one of the animals showcased at a local zoo -- all the animals are in their respective exhibits except for one. That one animal was allowed to roam free; that was us. We crocheters were the beautiful peacocks, the zoo animal allowed to roam free, where we could fan our feathers and strut, strut, strut!

So strut we did! We had many wonderful people stop by our table and inquire about crochet. One lady that I see every year who has difficulty communicating learned the front/back post stitch from me. I was so proud of her I took my "Get Hooked" rhinestone pin off my hat (you have to see this hat full of crochet-related pins!) and pinned it upon her when she finally grasped the concept. She was so tickled that she gave me the tightest bear hug! That alone made the day worth while for me and I strutted like a proud peacock for the rest of the day! {VBG}

So, why did the peacock cross the playground? Who cares, it was strutting it's crocheted creations! :)

I was chatting with a parent from my children's school the other night during Open House. She was telling me of a local man who recently passed away. At his Mass the gathering of friends, family, and neighbors discovered he loved to quilt. And he used this hidden passion to aid those in his community by learning of various people need, bundling up one of his quilts and delivering it in the cover of darkness. He left no card, or tell-tell sign that he was the anonymous donator. And he did this for years. They discovered at least 50 people in that gathering had received his gift of love.

I thought that was a touching story and decided to share it here because some people who want to participate in the 60 Scarves in 60 Days Challenge have emailed me that they don't have local charities that can use them, or have the financial means to ship them. So in light of the man who gave his beautiful quilts anonymously, I ask, is there someone local that could use an anonymous scarf donation? Even if the scarf has it's ends folded up to make pockets -- a nursing home resident can use it to keep track of things when sitting in a wheel chair. Or it can be tucked under a bed mattress with just a pocket end sticking out -- just enough so a child under-going cancer treatment can reach over and grab a book tucked inside. You see, scarves can do more than just keep the neck warm. :)

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

If you're in the New England area and planning to attend the Eastern States Exposition (known as "The Big E"), in West Springfield, Massachusetts, then be sure to visit The New England States Buildingtomorrow where I will be joining members of The Happily Hooked on Crocheting Club, Connecticut Chapter of the Crochet Guild of America, to promote the Art of Crochet! The New England States Building is located near the Avenue of the States and the Firehouse.

We'll be there to answer your questions about crochet, and about our CGOA Chapter. For more information about The Big E, click here. This is our FIFTH! year participating in the United States ninth largest fair on what is known as "Connecticut Day" -- come join in on the fun!!

Monday, September 17, 2007

Remember the other day
I said "just as soon as I'm done writing out my WIM list" I'd inquire with Doris' as to the next time she could spend some more time in Connecticut?

As I was enjoying flipping through her new book again, trying to make some decisions as to which will be the first pattern I try, I decided to check my email. And there it was; an email from Doris! Doris had contacted me to thank me for showing her new book to the two CGOA Chapters! Although my WIM list wasn't done (hey, you try writing with a sprained wrist!), I decided to email her back and inquire if she'd like to come and spend more time in Connecticut.She's game! {{YEEHAW!!}}So here's the agenda that is nearly set in stone:Saturday, November 10; from 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Location: Knitting Central, Westport, CTSunday, November 11; from 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Location: A Stitch In Time, Bethel, CT
and from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Location: The Happily Hooked on Crocheting Club monthly meeting from 1:00 - 4:00 PM
Danbury Hospital, Danbury, CT

"I was just thinking about Doris the other night. She always has on something I love when I see her. And I agree that she designs for everyone. I can't wait for this book, thanks for the review. BTW the two hour drive from No. NJ isn't much to visit with Doris. Does your CGOA chapter welcome visitors?" M. Goshen in NJ

Our CGOA Chapter loves visitors! So, yes, please do come and join in the fun of hanging out with crochet designer Doris Chan and a bunch of folks who just LOVE to crochet! And if you'd like to make it a weekend event, including visiting various yarn shops and taking in beautiful fall foliage, there are many hotels in the Danbury area! :)

Friday, September 14, 2007

It's official; my wrist is sprained. I have three to six more weeks to go of wearing the brace. Can I crochet? Yes; but gingerly -- I cannot crochet anywhere near my stitch speed pre-injury. So what does this mean? This means I need you, my Readers, more than ever, to help me reach the 60 Scarves in 60 Days challenge!

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Last week I mentioned that I received the newest book out by Doris Chan, "Everyday Crochet." Yes, in my hands I had the book direct from her publisher to check out! And I immediately, upon flipping through the pages, started adding more of her designs to my "WIM" (Works In Mind) list. With the amount of patterns she has published between her two books, and in numerous magazine publications, my WIM list is getting mighty long! (Her work is even on the cover of the latest issue of Crochet Today! magazine -- Sept/Oct issue)

Doris' new book covers a range of sizes for women: from size small to super curvy (3XL), and her patterns offer variations and pattern adjustments that allow for a personal fit. Her press release states, "...there's more to Everyday Crochet" than perfect sizing. Chan's latest book also saves readers from the almost daily nightmare of not having anything to wear. Armed with basic crochet skills, you can crochet tops, sweaters, and accessories that can be mixed, matched, or layered..." Ok, I'm on board with this! Now, it's just a matter of choosing which pattern I want to try first!

Excited about the book, I offered it as "Show-N-Tell" at two CGOA Chapter meetings. The first was to the Chain Gang of Stamford. As the members flipped through the book they commented the same as I did... "I want to make this, and that, and this one too, and that one ... Oh, Dee, tell us when the book is officially coming out because I have to get my own!" Fortunately the wait is nearly over. Amazon is showing the book will be released on the 18th of this month.

Then this past Sunday I showed it off to the Happily Hooked on Crocheting Club, and the same comments were echoed, but they added one more, "Dee, we need to have another Doris' Day! How soon can we get her to join us for another meeting, show off all her latest designs from the new book AND autograph our books?!!!" That's a good question, and I'll be sure to inquire ... just as soon as I'm done writing out my WIM list! :)

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Anne of www.Brainsbarn.com tells me Brian was a little "vocal" with this project, "he did have a time because they wouldn't fit in the lathe...LOL!...you should have heard it!...cover your ears! But he did it."

And I'm soooo glad he took on this challenge for me! I'm looking forward to seeing the hooks in person! Prior to Brian's magical touch, they were a pair of hand carved and hand painted giraffe swirl sticks I had sent over from the UK. To the right is my new "Yarn Bowl" -- also from the UK. I found both Giraffe treasures on eBay. I found Brian and Anne at last year's CGOA National Conference. :)

I plan on using the hooks during public demonstrations; I'll use the bowl here in my home. What do you think? :)

Monday, September 10, 2007

I am recovering from a wrist booboo that seems to be healing on it's own (with the aid of a wrist brace and no crocheting at the moment).

As part my self-imposed recovery regiment, I went to Springfield, Massachusetts, this weekend with some of my CGOA Chapter members to deliver various entries for an upcoming needlework competition that will be held at the Eastern States Exposition (known as The Big E). I entered two items, and Mini~Dee entered one.

While we were "in the neighborhood," we took a little drive up to Northampton (about 20 miles or so) for some most delicious lunch at the famed "Sylvesters," and to, of course, start the fiber frenzy shopping spree! {VBG} About half a block away from Sylvester's is a little yarn shop called "Northampton Wools." They had a "sidewalk" sale going on where I managed to pick up some Lang "Forum" -- a cotton & silk blend yarn -- for just a buck a ball. I'm not sure what the yarn wants to be when it grows up, so I purchased all that they had. I also bought some Lambs Pride wool that I'll be eventually felting, and some buttons (full price). (See 1st picture on left.) After visiting the Northampton Wools shop we headed down the road to visit WEBs.

WEBs has to be, to my knowledge, the largest yarn shop -- ever! And apparently I missed all announcements that they too were having a big sale. But that's OK! No, really! I got even by purchasing many, many sweet fibers ranging from wool to a cotton/linen blend for just a mere $2 a ball each. (No, I will not admit to the QUANTITY I purchased! Just take my word for it that it was "sa-weet!") I also purchased some buttons and some ribbon yarns (full price) to round out the shopping experience. (see picture on right.)

Feeling giddy from our fiber shopping in Massachusetts, we discussed what other shops we wanted to stop at while driving home to Connecticut. Elaine remembered a shop that was a vendor at the CraftAdventure (Part of the Eastern States Exposition last year) and suggested we give them a visit. I'm glad she did!! The shop we stopped at is called Creative Fibers and is located in Windsor, CT, not far from I-91.

It was my first experience shopping at this store, and it was wonderful! I found a huge assortment of "new to me" bone rings -- not the normal ones you see everywhere; no, these are rings with nickel coatings, and tortoise too. To match, I also purchased an assortment of "D" rings, and a beautiful metal heart shaped closure. Did I purchase more yarn? Yes! I purchased a few balls of Rowan's "Romance" and some "Saucy Sport" cotton too. (See picture on left) We also picked up some cute T-shirts that say "Hooked on Crochet," and the latest issue of Interweave Crochet magazine!

Our next stop was ACMoore. Not having an ACMoore near us it's always a treat to stop and load up on "staples." For me this meant more of Caron's "Simply Soft Shadows," and various wools that will be felted in the coming weeks. In the photo you'll also see some sewing bobbins. Now before you all start emailing me stating that those are not crochet related products, I'm going to have to say, "Yes, they are!" I wind sewing thread on them (with the sewing machine) and then combine them together for the desired thickness, and then crochet with them -- when I do this I can create my own color combinations for unique looks you cannot buy in a store! So before you think I've totally gone off my rocker -- think about it! We can now use our sewing machines as a "YarnThread Winder!" LOL

Our final stop was at Joann's located in Waterbury. We have a Joann's in Danbury, but it's no where near the size of Waterbury's. Here I picked up some storage boxes (after all, I'm going to have to organize all of my new purchases, right?), and some more "tools of the trade:" some grommets & tools to add more character & "artistic flair" to my felted works I have planned.

For this "one armed bandit" it was a fantastic way to lift the spirits and recharge the creative juices. Now, I just need to wait for the wrist to finish healing. :)

Is it too late to join? Heaven's no! There's plenty of time! For more information you can read the fine print here.

Can you crochet/knit/weave more than one scarf for the Challenge? Absolutely! (In fact, Tracie is challenging herself to make 60!)

And don't forget, participants get to have their name added to my drawing -- yes, the details for it are on that "fine print" page. Go ahead and join the growing list of participants! :) Tags: 60 scarves in 60 days, crochet, dee stanziano

Thursday, September 6, 2007

School has been in session now for a week, and every afternoon as I await for them in the school parking lot I can be found with yarn and hook happily stitching away. At the moment I'm working on another project that will ultimately be felted, embellished, and then donated to the school for their fundraising auction that is quickly coming up.

I love when people inquire about the projects on my hooks, so yesterday was a delight; I caught another parent watching me as I crocheted happily away with a new (to me) yarn that I am in love with (Berroco's "Jasper" which is a merino wool that self stripes -- it's devine!). I looked up from my work and gave her a smile; she's a Mom from my daughter's class.

"How was your summer?" I inquired.

"Too short! And yours?" she asked in return, still watching me crochet.

"Too short also!"

"I started learning how to knit during the summer," she replied. "I'm just doing the basic knit stitch right now. I'm learning that keeping count of my stitches is important."

I chuckled. "Oh, yes! Stitch counts are very important in crochet too," I said.

We had to stop our conversation there as our children were coming out of the school. As I went to greet my children I thought it was nice that she has started learning a fiber art.

Then tonight there was an Open House at the school. Since I'm still working on the same project, I brought it with me, selected a seat in the back of the auditorium and began my crocheting.

A few moments later I heard the same Mother from the day prior state, "Shoot! I should have brought my knitting!"

She was watching me crochet again. I looked up at her and gave her a big smile. "Yes, you should have!" I encouraged. "Perhaps next time you will."

She looked at my work and commented on the stripes. "Did you plan this?"

"No, it's the yarn doing all that work. I just make the stitches."

She asked about the fiber content, it's cost, and how it washes. "It's pretty," she said. "Where do you get your yarn?"

I couldn't help but laugh. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to laugh," I replied, "it's just that I'm a Yarn Addict. I get yarn at many, many places, and if you'd like, I can share with you a long list of places to check out."

She gave me a big grin. I can see we're going to have some great conversations in the school parking lot! :)

Tuesday, September 4, 2007

I had the most enjoyable time this morning -- I went to Borders located in Stamford. It seems I'm one of the newest links in the group, and I'm delighted. This now makes three CGOA Chapters I'm an official member of: The Chain Gang of Stamford, The Happily Hooked on Crochet Club of Danbury, and The New York City Crochet Guild.

The ladies (and/or their crochet work) included in my photos here are: Haley, Lori, Madeline, Olga, Rose, Shelley. We all had met and bonded in the heyday of Knit Together, a yarn shop that closed earlier this year. (There is a group shot of us together, but since it includes a child of one of the members I've decided not to post it.)

Ever since the closing of the shop, the group had been in limbo. Today was their first official gathering since, well, I'm not sure. What I do know is that three of their members attended the summer CGOA Conference that was held in New Hampshire, and I think that sparked their interest in "chaining" the gang back together. We had a blast catching up this morning!

It was decided that the group will meet on the First Tuesday of every month; and now that they have a (private) Yahoo! group, they'll be able to keep in touch, post pictures, and discuss many crochet topics prior to every meeting. I can't be more tickled for this group of wonderful ladies, fantastic crocheters!

Today we discussed many topics to help get this Chapter back on the hook: like bringing in "heavy hitter" instructors/teachers to teach the group, new books (I showed off Doris Chan's new book that isn't even on the store shelves yet! More on that later), possible field trips, and maybe -- just maybe sometime in the future, getting all three of the CGOA Chapters in Connecticut together for a small crochet retreat sometime. Hhmmmm, maybe there will be more Chapters by then?? One can hope, yes? The enthusiasm was just fantastic! AND they are looking for more "links" to add to the Chain Gang! If you're from the Stamford area and would like to join this group, let me know. I can get you in touch with the ring leaders.

If you're not, but you are interested in CGOA Chapters, visit www.crochet.org to learn more. If there isn't one listed in your area you can start one and watch the friendships blossom and the crochet inspiration soar! :)

It's been quite some time since I've fiddled with my blog over at blogger.com (I heard that gasp! You all think I've been holding out on you, huh? Yes, I admit, I do have a blog over there -- and it's with good reason I've kept it under wraps! It's because I haven't had the time to devote to it how I envisionit; and I have posts going back to 2006 that I can't seem to get published. Arg! So, for now, just put that thought of finding it on the back burner as this is where I am placing my energy for the time being. Should something develop over there, I'll announce it here first.)

Beata, here's how to add the image to your blogger post:

1. Right Click onto the 2007 Participant button you see in this posting and then click onto the "save image" option that will appear in a small window. This will save the image onto your computer.

2. Log into blogger.com, select "new entry." In the screen where you type your posting into there is a tiny picture on the options bar, click onto it to add a image to your entry. Another window should open so you can browse in the files on your computer for the image you wish to add; in this case it would be the 2007 Participant button. Locate the image, and blogger should do the rest. When you click onto "publish" post, the image should appear with your entry.

Having the image on you sidebar is an entirely different ball game. I'm hoping someone more familiar with blogger can come to our aid to tell you how to do that as I'm not sure if there is an easy solution to offer you. Right now, the only way I know how to do it, is to go into the html coding (aka your template), and for many that is no picnic in the park. So how about it readers who also use Blogger? Can you offer Beata easy instructions on how to add the 2007 Participant button to her Sidebar? If so, many thanks!

Saturday, September 1, 2007

Wow! The Fourth Challenge!! In the past I kicked this charity drive off on October 1st; this year I decided to kick the event off a month earlier -- prior to the holiday crunch time -- to afford more people the time to participate!

I love having this charity drive as anyone can participate -- any skill level -- any fiber art (crochet, knit, weaving) -- and it's all for helping people in need in your own community!

Here's how to participate: Create a scarf for charity by either knitting or crocheting it (if you're a weaver, that works too!) and then let me know about it by sending me an email or leaving a comment here so we can include it in the official count. You do NOT need to send me anything -- you can donate it to your own local charity, or send it to an organization like the Orphan foundation.

And this year, I'm going to offer a drawing -- if you blog about your scarf (tell us if you used a pattern or learned a new stitch, if you enjoyed using a particular yarn, and the organization you'll be donating your scarf to, and such) I will enter your name into the crocheted hat for a special drawing! Don't have a blog? That's OK -- send me your essay (minimum of 250 words) and I'll post it here for you. After theChallenge I'll have Mr. Dee draw a name and the winnerwill receive a "Yoo-Hoo Bamboo Black Bag" purse kit that can be knitted or crocheted! (A $35 retail value!).

Let's see if we can get 60 scarves created for charity by the end of October! Are you game? Last year we were able to donate 80 scarves!! To help in promoting this challenge consider saving the Challenge button above onto your PC and then displaying it on your website or blog! Be sure to link to this blog entry so others can learn about what is involved to participate. The more people we can get involved in the challenge, the better chance we have of meeting this goal -- and even beating last year's numbers!

Please keep in mind that if you wish to have your scarf count for this drive it does not need to be fancy in stitching or fiber content. Creating a scarf is a perfect project to practice your stitches on regardless of your skill level! Besides doing something good for your community, and your country, (and perhaps using up some of that accumulating stash?) it will make you feel good inside.

Scarves are like hugs; you don't realize the true warmth they wield until you give one away! And if you don't know how to crochet or knit, then what better reason is there to learn?!? We have until October 31st, so that's plenty of time if we combine our efforts! Care to join me?! JTags: 60 scarves in 60 days challenge, knit, crochet, weave, charitycommunity